A quirkly, smart little film about a little cop in over his head, 1973's ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE will surprise you on several fronts.
The first surprise is just how good of an actor Robert Blake is as patrolman John Wintergreen.
Small in stature but big in ambition, Wintergreen dreams of becoming a detective and finds his wish fulfilled when he is the lone voice calling a crime scene a murder when all else call it a suicide.
Promoted to detective and trading in his uniform for a western suit and a mighty big hat, Wintergreen soon discovers that not everyone shares his ethics, morals and black & white view of the law.
Mitchell Ryan stars as Harve Poole and Billy Green Bush is pretty eccentric as John's partner Zipper.
Electra Glide (a reference to the model of motorcycle the police ride throughout) is directed by James William Guercio and was his only film. Coming from the music world as Chicago's long time producer, Guercio also wrote the film's terrific score and shows great promise behind the camera, but when the film bombed, he never directed again.
Robert Blake is very good throughout, going from cocky dreamer to disillusioned detective and beyond. He's always believable, often funny and its a great performance. His despair is palpable in realizing just how corrupt the system is just days into his new role.
Filmed entirely in Arizona, with some amazing photography by the legendary Conrad Hall of Monument Valley and some glimpses of the east valley 40 years ago, the film is never in a hurry, but always sincere.
It's a smart tale of an anti-hero, loyalties and relationships that's got its flaws, but overall its a real sleeper that very few people saw. Under rated and worth visiting, Electra Glide gets a bold blue B.
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